My family history and other life moments

Monthly Archives: November 2018

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Grace Irene Squires Foreman was my great grandmother. She was the youngest of six children. She had two sisters Frances Charlotte Squires Allen and Mary Ivadine Squires, who never married, and three brothers , Harvey Squires, Clarence Squires and Jesse Squires who was the next to last child of Edwin and Mary Salina Kenyon Squires.

Grace Irene Squires Foreman

Brothers Harvey Squires, Clarence Squires and Jesse Squires

Jesse, the “next to last” child never married. Harvey and Clarence were widowers and the three brothers lived together in a house in Colorado Springs. I remember visiting them, we would sit out on the porch and drink lemonade and eat sugar cookies. They made the best sugar cookies.

Depending on what data base is used there are two different records for Grace Foreman’s death. Her grave headstone says 1932 but the Colorado state issued death certificate says 1933.

I remember my grandmother telling me that she was unable to attend her mothers funeral because she had just had a baby the week before. The baby was her “next to last” child Shirley Ruth Hancock Hedenskog, born March 6, 1933.

Then a couple of weeks ago, my cousin Kenneth who is the “next to last” child of Robert and Charlotte Hancock Lucero sent a picture to me and asked if I had any idea what the name badge in this picture represented.

Well, it just so happens that the obituary for Grace Irene Foreman from the Elbert newspaper indicated that Grace was a member of the Rebekah’s and when Grace died a special service prior to the church service was held to honor Grace Foreman as a contributing and active member of the Rebekah organization.

This badge was for the October 17 – 19, 1932 Grand Lodge, Rebekah Assembly, Grand Encampment in Loveland, Colorado. So this is additional proof she did not die in March of 1932, but rather March of 1933.

Cause of death was from a paralytic ilieus or abdominal blockage as a result of surgery for fibroid tumors in her uterus. She was hospitalized from February 21 to March 12 at Presbyterian Hospital in Denver, where she died.

New recipes for the holidays seem to dominate all the foodie blogs, and television shows. After all, it is the time of year when families try so hard to get together and share their blessings, so here are some of the old family contributions to the 1909, Common Sense Cook Book Of Tested Recipes From The Junior Aid Society And Their Friends, Presbyterian Church, Elbert, Colorado. Price 25 cents.

Hattie E. Totten – (Sister of Birdie Brace, 3rd Great Aunt)

Tomato Preserves – Select solid tomatoes, not too ripe (yellow ones are best) scald and remove the skins, make a small opening in each and squeeze out all the juice and seeds, throw these away using only the pulp, then to 1 lb. pulp add 3/4 c. granulated sugar, let stand still syrup forms, drain syrup off and boil until quite thick, then add tomatoes and boil until thick and rich.

Popcorn Balls – 1 pt sugar, 1/2 c. water, boil until it will thread from a spoon or harden when dropped in cold water, pour the taffy over the popcorn, mix it thoroughly; butter or wet hands and press into balls.

Cinnamon Rolls – When putting bread into loaves cut off a piece, work all the lard you can into it and roll thin, spread with butter, sprinkle with sugar and then with cinnamon, cut in narrow strips and roll, place on a tin, spread top with butter, sprinkle with sugar and then with cinnamon, when they have raised bake about 20 minutes.

Apple Jelly for cake – Grate 1 large or two small apples, the rind and juices of a lemon, 1 c. sugar; boil three minutes; when cold it is good for any layer cake.

Mrs. Lulu Hancock – (Mother of Bernard Hancock; Great Grandmother)

Potato Salad – Boil potatoes until cooked, slice thin, slice two onions in dish with potatoes, beat an egg pour half a cup of vinegar on egg and beat, then pour this over potatoes and onions, season with pepper and salt; let stand a short time, serve cold.

The year was 1910 and the world population had their eyes focused on Halley’s Comet, as did a seven year old boy living with his mother in Kiowa, Colorado. That little boy was my grandfather Bernard Hancock.

I would often stop by my grandparents home to visit, particularly in 1970 when I was pregnant and had quit working. It drove me nuts to stay home during that 8th month, yet it was so uncomfortable to go anywhere in the summer heat. I knew Grandma and Grandpa Hancock would be sitting on their shaded front porch and I knew I would always be welcome.

Usually Grandma would do the talking, but sometimes Grandpa had some pretty interesting things to say. One day in 1968 we talked about politics, he was going to vote for George Wallace. I was shocked, but didn’t dare say anything. Then he admitted when he was young he had been a member of the Klu Klux Klan for a short time. The city of Denver had a fairly active chapter at the time. I really kept my mouth shut on that one, but my eyes must have been as big as silver dollars.

On this particular day that I was visiting he casually mentioned that when he was a child he had seen Halley’s Comet. At the time he and his mother lived in Kiowa, Colorado. Kiowa, being a small town out in the middle of of the prairie provided a big, wide expanse of the sky for viewing and he saw the comet.

Lulu Pearl Brace Hancock with baby Bernard Hancock

Funny, how you never know how smart your parents or grandparents really are. My grandfather not only new about Halley’s Comet, he had seen it.

Looking through my collection of photographs of our ancestors there is one stand-out person with a beard and that is my great grandfather Robert Sidney “Sid” Foreman.

Sid Foreman was born in Time, Illinois in 1871. He married Grace Irene Squires in 1904 in Denver, Colorado at the Arapaho county courthouse. Denver had not become it’s own county until later in 1904. I use the before and after marriage as a measuring bar for Sid’s age in these photos.

Robert Sidney “Sid” Foreman

Sid Foreman appears in the 1900 census living in Elbert, Colorado in a rental house. He is single and is a farmer. He appears many times in the ‘gossip’ section of the Elbert weekly newspaper such as the time he and two friends rode their bicycles from Elbert to Denver.

Sid Foreman on his steam engine with his threshing crew. Easy to spot with the beard!

This photo was taken about the time he got married. Another interesting way to try to date a photo is to look carefully at the clothing. Notice the shirt collars and ties in these photos.

This may have been a wedding photo or at least just after they were married. Notice the shirt collar and thinning hair. It has been said for men, baldness follows the line of the maternal father. Meaning Sid’s baldness was inherited from his mother’s (Sarah Elizabeth Watt) father. Sid’s sons would not have had a problem with baldness but the children of his daughter did.

One of my favorite photos. Notice the change in the shape of the shirt collar, tie and the handlebar mustache.

This photo best represents my first memories of Sid Foreman. He used to visit us at our home in Pleasant View near Golden where he lived with his son Jacob. Sid always wore a suit. If the weather was hot, he would take off his suit jacket, but he was always dressed in a suit.

Sid Foreman died in 1962. I was in the 8th grade at that time. Services were held at the Elbert Presbyterian church. He is buried in the Elbert cemetery with his wife, Grace Irene Squires and son Robert James Foreman and daughter-in-law Evelyn Peterson and granddaughter Lorene Gardner next to the Squires plot.

The prompt “Conflict” is what actually brought me to a total standstill in producing my 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks blogs. So many thoughts went through my mind when trying to choose an ancestor to write about and they weren’t kind thoughts. Totally 180 degrees different then what I have felt about this entire project.

I have been late in posting, I have posted out of order. You can actually see how disturbing #42 has been for me. It has taken me two months to face the truth, I simply didn’t want to reveal the conflict that I felt.

Today I’m going to meet this challenge head on and end my procrastination and struggle with “Conflict” thanks to the long discussions and wise guidance of my husband, the psychology major and most practical person I know, here is #42 – Conflict.

There have been and are people in my family who didn’t get along, don’t get along and probably will never get along no matter what.

Birth and death certificates for ancestors who were born or died prior to certain dates are not easily available. Sometimes the state has excellent archives and will mail copies of the certificates for a small fee and sometimes the county has the records but you have to physically present yourself to get birth and death certificates which can involve a great deal of traveling. I have never been to Narka, Kansas which is in Republic County so I have not made the effort to see if birth and death certificates are available for the Hancock family ancestors. Checking in at the state archives in Topeka might work but that hasn’t been an option on my recent trips through Kansas.

In this case I rely on a family story as told by Margaret Hancock Shoemaker the sister of Nathan Brink Hancock, father to Bernard Hancock my grandfather.

Alta Hancock born 1871, died in Narka, Kansas, in 1878

Margaret reports in her story of the family her parents and siblings were out raking leaves and burning a pile when sparks landed on Alta’s bonnet and flames soon engulfed her. Alta died several days later. Margaret also reports her mother Theresa Frary Hancock never recovered from the emotional shock of her young daughters death.

As reported in the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Wednesday, February 17, 1915, Dr. Jacob J. Singer rescued his children and wife from a fire in their flat at 3837A Shenandoah Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri.

“Dr. J. J. Singer dropped his wife and two children out of a second story rear window at 2 o’clock this morning when fire was discovered in the basement of the flat and the stairways were blocked with smoke. He then jumped to safety. Maud Schuler, 19 years old, a maid, escaped down the front stairs in her night clothing. Mrs. Singers feet were cut by glass and both children were badly bruised.

Dr. Singer aroused the maid and then picked up his two children, Philip 5 years old, and Bernice, 2 years old, both of whom were recovering from an attack of the measles. Dr. and Mrs. Singer found escape by both the front and rear stairways cut off because of smoke. They heard shouts from the back yard and going to the window saw Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Joste, who live on the first floor of the building, waiting there with several neighbors. The Singers were told to jump.

Leaning far out of the window, Dr. Singer held Philip by both hands and tried to drop him into the arms of Mr. Joste but the boy was too heavy and fell to the ground. Mrs. Joste had secured a blanket in which to try to catch Bernice but missed her in the smoke, and the girl fell to the ground. Dr. Singer attempted to lower his wife by means of a quilt, but she slipped and fell, landing on some broken glass and cutting her feet badly.

By the time the doctor was ready to jump a mattress had been brought out, and he lowered himself from the window without injury. The firemen made short work of the blaze, which they found had started under the front stairway where there are a large number of electrical wires.”

It is hard to imagine the fear this mother had for her children and Dr. Singer had for his family.